Despite holding the vast majority of new roles within the travel industry, women are still routinely being overlooked for the top jobs, according to new research from C&M Travel Recruitment and C&M Executive Recruitment.

Females accounted for 64 per cent of all travel job placements in the first half of 2018, but were awarded just 25 per cent of all executive positions (those paying £40,000 or more). In contrast, women were appointed in 67 per cent of all junior roles (those paying below £22,000), 76 per cent of all mid-level positions (those paying between £22,000 and £29,999) and 60 per cent of all senior travel jobs (those paying between £30,000 and £39,999).

Barbara Kolosinska, Director at C&M Travel Recruitment and C&M Executive Recruitment, said: “It’s disappointing that after so much publicity and attention in recent years, we are still seeing men significantly outnumber women when it comes to securing the most high profile jobs in our industry.

“This has to change and I’m sure it will over time, but amongst other things it will take a concerted effort from the current crop of female travel leaders to ensure they are role models and examples for the next generation to follow.”

Gender pay split

While women account for the majority of new appointments, they are still regularly earning less than their male counterparts in similar roles at most levels of the travel industry.

Although the gap may not be as pronounced as in many other professions, the average female in an entry level travel role took home £18,487 in 2018 which is 2.22 per cent or £415 less than the average male. Similarly, women in senior roles earned an average of £32,375 which was 1.34 per cent less than men, although females in mid level roles out-earned their male equivalents by 0.56 per cent (or £145) with an average salary of £25,760.

Interestingly, there was very little difference in salaries for those placed in new executive roles, with men earning an average of £50,771 in 2018, which was just 0.11 per cent or £54 more than their female counterparts.

Ms Kolosinska added: “These figures suggest that the travel industry is well on its way to eliminating the gender pay gap for executive positions, which is clearly fantastic news. However, until we see these wage discrepancies consistently eliminated across all levels of the industry, more work needs to be done.”

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

C&M Travel Recruitment was established in 1998 and is the largest and most successful specialist travel recruitment company in the UK.

Please contact the person or company listed above for information regarding the content of this press release. TravPR.com are not the issuers of this press release and are not responsible for the accuracy of the content.